Patrice Corriveau: Judging homosexuals: a history of gay persecution in Quebec and France

In this book, translated and updated from the French language original, Patrice Corriveau compares the changing state response to same-sex sexuality in France and Quebec, from Antiquity to the present day. Corriveau’s book focuses primarily on the regulation of gay man in these jurisdictions using criminal prohibitions. This is by far the most interesting and useful aspect of the book’s discussion. However, the last few sections also consider recent shifts in both countries towards the legal recognition of same-sex partnerships (in the form of equal marriage in Canada and the PACS system in France).

In general, the book is a valuable addition to the social–historical literature on gay male sexuality and should be of considerable interest to scholars working in the field of gay male historiography. It will be especially useful to those with an interest in the French-speaking world. It also complements and contextualises those studies which have focused specifically on English-speaking na ...